Folded shirt collar protector



July 12, 1955 s. LIGHTER 2,712,889

FOLDED SHIRT COLLAR PROTECTOR Filed Feb. 4, 1952 IN V EN TOR.

United States Patent 0 FOLDED SHIRT CGLLAR PROTECTOR Stephen Lighter,Whitefish Bay, Wis., assignor to Sutherland Paper Company, Kalamazoo,Mich, a corporation of Michigan Application February 4, 1952, Serial No.269,832

2 Claims. (Cl. 223-83) My invention relates in general to improvementsin the art of packaging garments such as shirts, and relates morespecifically to improvements in the construction and functioning ofdevices for protecting the collars of freshly laundered shirts againstcollapse, crushing and wrinkling.

The primary object of this invention is to provide an improved protectorfor the collar of a folded shirt, which is simple in structure,conveniently applicable, and adapted to resist collapse and crushing ofthe collar.

Various types of so called collar protectors for freshly launderedshirts have heretofore been proposed and used extensively by laundries,and while some of these prior devices have proven quite satisfactorywhen applied to shirts having collars which have been materiallystiffened with the aid of starch or the like, none of them are entirelysatisfactory for use in connection with garments having relatively softcollars. It is quite a simple matter to produce ample support for thecollar-band of either a stiff or soft collar by providing outer andinner elongated parallel plates hingedly interconnected by anintervening panel, and so formed that the inner panel can be folded intosnug engagement with the interior of the neck-band when the outer plateis secured to the upper bosom portion of the folded shirt and theconnecting panel coacts with the front outer part of the neck-band.However, such an assemblage alone does not provide any support for theupper outer portion of the collar above the lapels, and while it haspreviously been proposed to provide wings and easel structures on theopposite sides of the hinge panel in efforts to support these areas ofthe outer collar, none of these prior devices have proven entirelysatisfactory because the supporting wings and easels did not properlyengage the collar areas to a sufficient extent and in a manner whichwould maintain these collar portions in fiat and non-sagging condition.

It is therefore an important object of my present in vention to providean improved folded shirt collar protector which when applied to theshirt will automatically bring extensive supporting shelves intointimate engagement with the upper front collar portions and willpositively prevent undesirable distortion of the collar under normalhandling or stacking conditions.

Another important object of the invention is to provide a simple andinexpensive but highly efficient protector for freshly laundered shirts,and especially for such garments having soft collars.

A further important object of this invention is to provide aconveniently applicable shirt packaging device embodying an eflectivecollar support and protector all adapted to be formed of a single blankof sheet material such as cardboard, with the aid of simple punches anddies.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an improved wrapperand protector for folded shirts or the like, which may be appliedrapidly and without separate fasteners to maintain the shirt in neatlyfolded condition and to most effectively support the entire collarthereof in natural condition.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparentfrom the following description from which it will be noted that the gistof the present improvement is the provision of a shirt packaging devicehaving extensive shelves which upon application of the device to a shirtwill flatly and snugly engage the under sides of the front upper collarareas on opposite sides of the gap between the collar lapels, so as toprevent sagging and undesirable distortion of these areas regardless ofthe stiffness of the collars.

A clear conception of the specific features constituting the presentimprovement, and of the construction and mode of utilizing a typicalcommercial shirt and collar protector embodying the invention, may behad by referring to the drawing accompanying and forming a part of thisspecification wherein like reference characters designate the same orsimilar parts in the various views.

Fig. l is a fragmentary plan view of a shirt embracing band type ofshirt and collar protector having the invention incorporated therein andshowing the same in flat condition preparatory to application thereof toa shirt;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of a. typical folded shirt with one of theimproved protectors drawn to reduced scale and superimposed upon theshirt bosom and over the collar lapels preparatory to final applicationof the device;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the folded shirt shown in Fig. 2, withthe improved packaging and protecting device finally applied;

Fig. 4 is a somewhat enlarged view of a fragment of the main plate ofthe assembled protector looking toward the lower edge of this plate andshowing the elevated poi" tions of the device which function toprotectthe front parts of the outer collar; and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view of the protector retainer band ininterlocked condition as when applied to the rear of the shirt package,drawn to the same scale as Fig. 1.

While the invention has been shown and described herein. as having beenembodied in a shirt embracing band type of shirt packaging andprotecting device, it is also applicable to non-embracing protectors;and it is contemplated thatspecific descriptive terms used herein begiven the broadest possible interpretation consistent with the actualdisclosure.

Referring to the drawing, the improved shirt packaging and protectingdevice illustrated therein comprises in genl, a main front plate 7adapted to overlie span the bosom portion of a neatly folded shirt andhaving opposite end portions; 9, 19 adapted to embrace and to beinterlocked at tie back of the shirt assemblage; an approximatelyhexagonal panel ii swingabl'y connected along one bounding edge to thelower medial portion of the main plate 1' and having an elongatedcollar-band damping plate l2 the medial portion of which is foldablyconnected to the opposite uppermost bounding edge of the panel i1 by aintervening hinge platform l3; a fiat shelf i4 extensive area connectedalong a hinge line to each of the upper opposite side bounding edges thepa d 1i; and an elongated hinge l5 connecting the medial portion of eachsheif i4 with the ad acent portion of the front plate 7 independently ofthe panel ll. The entire device may be formed of a single sheet ofrelatively stilf material such as cardboard with the aid of punches anddies and with very little waste of it, and each of the end portions 9,iii is connected with the main front plate 7 by several fold lines 18 soas to compensate for folded shirts 3 of various thicknesses. The plate 7is preferably formed of considerably greater Width than the bandportions 9, ii in order to cover a considerable portion of the shirtbosom, and to also permit the panel ii and shelves 345 and the hinges idto be cut from its medial portion, see Figs 1, 2 and 3. The ends of theband portions 9, 16 adjacent to the main plate 7 are also widened asshown in order to protect the opposite side edges of the shirt 8 whenthe band is applied, and the free ends of the shorter band portion 9 isprovided with a hook 19 adapted to cooperate with anyof several tabs 20and with a resilient lock- 7 ing tab 21 formed on the free end of thelonger portion a 10 as illustrated in Fig. 5, so as to interlock theband ends without the aid of separate fasteners.

The center panel 11 is swingably connected to the main plate 7 along ascore line 22 and-has upwardly diverging opposite sides 23 extendingaway fromthe hinge line 22, and the hinge lines converge upwardly towardeach other and away from the lower sides 23 of the panel 11 so as togive the latter an approximately hexagonal shape. The collar-bandclamping plate 12 is disposed substantially parallel to andabove themain panel 7 when the blank is flat as in Fig. l, but is swingablewithin the collar band 24 of the shirt 8 about a hinge line at the topof the platform 13 the lower end of which is constricted and connecteddirectly to the upper constricted portion of the panel 11. Theconnecting-platform. 13 is provided at its upper end with a'pair ofspaced clamping plate retainer tongues 26 and is separated from the flatopposite side shelves 14 by downwardly converging slits 27.

The extensive fiat shelves 14 constitute an important feature of thepresent invention, and these shelves 14 are supported from the centralpanel 11 at the hinge lines 15 and from the main plate 7 by theelongated hinges 16 in such manner that whenthe panel 11 is elevated atan inclination relative to the plate 7 as in Figs. 3 and 4, the shelves14 will rise and flatly engage the interiors of'the upper outer collarareas 29 adjacent to the front portion of the collar band 24 above thelapel tips 30. During such elevation of the panel 11, this panelfunctions as a second hinge cooperable with each shelf 14 and with thehinge 16 thereof to finally position the shelves 14 at the proper anglesrelative to the main plate 7 so as to insure most effective support ofthe outer collar throughout the areas 29 thereof, and each shelf 14 is 7preferably provided with an extensive lobe 31 remote from its hinges inorder to insure such support. The shelf supporting hinges must also beof proper length in order to automatically produce the proper angularityof the shelves 14 when the protector is being applied to a shirt 8 inthe manner about to be described.

When the protector blanks have been properly formed as shown in Fig. 1,they may be compactly stacked and successively withdrawn from the stackfor rapid applica tion to the successive shirts 8. The shirts 8 shouldbe neatly folded about the usual rectangular folding board 32 formed ofcardboard or the like, with the sleeves concealed and the shirt tail 33disposed beneath the collar 7 and bosom portions as in Figs. 2 and 3,whereupon a protector may be applied to each shirt 8 substantially asfollows. The folded shirt and stifiening board 32 should belaid fiatwiseupon a table whereupon an outstretched'protector blank should bedisposed across the a top of the shirt bosom and moved upwardlytherealong with the transverse upper plate 12 riding over the collarlapels while the lower plate 7 and the shelves 14 slide beneath theselapels as the panel 11 proceeds upwardly therebetween, as illustrated inFig. l.

During this procedure, the panel 11 gradually assumes an inclinedposition at a rather abrupt angle relative to the main plate 7 andsimultaneously elevates and swings the hinges 16 and hence the shelves14 into position for proper supporting coaction with the inclined collarportions 29. vWhen the upper inner edges of the shelves 14 strike theconnections between the outer collar and the collar-hand 24, the upwardmotion of the main panel 4 the plate 7 may be interlocked as in Fig. 5,thus completing the packaging operations which can all be performedwithin a few seconds by an experienced operator. From the foregoingdetailed description of the construction and operation of the improvedcollar protector for folded shirts, it will be apparent that when thedevice has been properly applied to a shirt, the rigid and extensiveshelves 14 will effectively support the inclined areas 29 of the shirtcollar so as to prevent crushing and other deformation thereof even ifconsiderable external pressure is applied to these areas. When the panel11 and the hinges 16 have been properly constructed as illustrated, thecollar supporting shelves 14 will assume their proper supportingpositions automatically while the protector is being applied to a shirt,and the enlarged lobes 31 of the shelves 14 serve to carry the support.over considerable areas 29 of the outer collar above the lapel points ortips 30.

The upper plate 12 cooperates with the front panel 11' and with theerected shelves 14 to provide a rigid supporting structure for the outercollar and the interlock afforded by the hook 19 and tabs 20, 21 may beapplied without separate fasteners such as clips. and serveto maintainthe protector in assembled condition. The widened front plate 7 besidescovering and protecting a large portion of the shirt bosom may also beprovided with advertising matter and other indicia, and the blanks maybe manufactured with the aid of simple punches and dies at very moderatecost and with insignificant waste of stock. These protectorsmanufactured from cardboard have proven highly satisfactory andsuccessful especially when applied fications within the scope of theappended claims may occur to persons skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. In a unitary protector for the collar of a folded soft collar shirt,a main plate formed to snugly span and protect the upper bosom of thefolded shirt and having an upwardly swingable approximately hexagonalpanel the lower bounding edge of which is hingedly connected to the mainplate for abruptly inclined disposition at an angle relative to thelatter and for coaction with the front outer part of the neck band ofsaid shirt, a clamping plate foldable within the interior of the neckband and having its medial portion swingably connected to theuppermostbounding edge of said hexagonal panel, a flat shelf of extensive areaconnected by a hinge line directly to each of the opposite upper sidebounding edges of said hexagonal panel, and an elongated hinge,connecting the lower medial portion of each of said shelves with saidmain plate independently of said hexagonal panel, said elongated hingesand said panel being formed and operable to elevate the free ends ofsaid shelves into supporting engagement with the upper front areas ofthe shirt collar above the lapel tips.

2. A collar protector as per claim 1, wherein the upper connectionsbetween the elongated hinges and the adjoining shelves are approximatelyparallel to the adjacent direct hinge connections between said shelvesand said upper side panel bounding edges, and in which the lowerconnections between said elongated hinges and the main plate areinclined slightly relative to said upper connections.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

